CHICAGO – The Missouri Valley Conference announced its postseason awards Wednesday morning ahead of the 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women's Basketball Tournament. Senior guard Jessica Carrothers was named to the All-MVC First Team and the MVC All-Newcomer Team. Redshirt sophomore forward Julia Coleman joined her on the All-Newcomer Team, while also earning All-MVC Third Team and MVC All-Defensive Team honors.
 
Carrothers becomes the first UIC player to earn first-team All-MVC accolades since the program joined the Valley four years ago, and she is the first to do so in any conference since UIC Hall of Famer Ruvanna Campbell was an All-Horizon League First Team choice in 2016.
 
Coleman is UIC's first MVC All-Defensive Team selection since the program joined the conference and the first in any loop since Jade Nneji earned Horizon League All-Defensive Team honors in 2020. She is also the third UIC player named to the All-MVC Third Team, joining Makiyah Williams (2023-24) and Josie Filer (2022-23).
 
Carrothers and Coleman are the second pair of Flames to earn spots on the MVC All-Newcomer Team, following Keimari Rimmer and Makiyah Williams in 2023-24.
 
A three-time MVC Newcomer of the Week, Carrothers has made a splash in the Windy City this year, leading the Flames in scoring (18.3), field goal percentage (.501) and assists (4.3), while ranking second on the team in steals (1.5). The Highland, Ind., native turned in a strong conference slate, ranking fourth in scoring (18.8), fifth in assists (4.5) and eighth in steals (1.6) with a conference-best .909 free throw percentage.
 
Coleman, a two-time MVC Newcomer of the Week, has likewise made an impact on her first full season at UIC. Starting all 31 games, she leads the Flames in rebounds (7.3) and steals (1.8), while ranking second in scoring (16.0) and total blocks (24). In conference play, the St. Louis product was one of only 10 players in the Valley to grab 200 rebounds and she scored in double figures in 18 of UIC's 20 conference games.
 
No. 7 seed UIC (14-17, 9-11 MVC) will face 10^th-seeded Evansville (7-24, 5-15 MVC) in an MVC Tournament first-round game at 6 p.m. (CT) Thursday from Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available at UICFlames.com.

Fans wanting more information on the tournament can go to the UIC's Tournament Central or The Valley's Championship Central page.  All-session and single-session tickets in the UIC cheering section are on sale through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office by calling 312-413-UIC1 (8421) or e-mailing athleticsticketing@uic.edu.
 
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For more information on UIC women's basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_WBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wbb and @uicflames).

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